Circles Around The Sun Tour Hits Raleigh

On May 7, Circles Around The Sun continued their Spring Tour 2019 with a stop at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Lincoln Theatre. Following up a performance in New Orleans during Jazz Fest and a show in Lexington, North Carolina, over the weekend, the band was eager and ready to perform during the Monday night showcase, offering a mix of tracks off their 2015 debut Interludes for the Dead and last year’s Let It Wander LP.

The show opened with a nearly 20-minute “On My Mind,” with the four-piece composed of Neal Casal, Adam MacDougall, Dan Horne and Mark Levy starting the 2018 track with an airy, experimental jam. The band then laid out a slowed-down and patient take on “Gilbert’s Groove,” stretching the tune to be particularly psychedelic, before picking up the pace for a synth-heavy take on “Halicarnassus.” After the Let It Wander tune built to its frenetic, soaring climax, Circles followed it up with a soulful 17-minute “Immovable Object.”

Fan-favorite “Scarlotta’s Magnolias” came toward the end of the one-set show, which reflected the band’s origins crafting music for the Grateful Dead’s Fare Thee Well 50th-anniversary celebration. After the band’s twisted “Scarlet Begonias”-inspired number, the band offered up a grinding “Ticket To Helix,” highlighted by a trancey, “Space”-esque portion in its center. To close out the show, the group returned to Interludes for the Dead for an easygoing 15-minute rendition of “Saturday’s Children.” As an encore, Circles Around The Sun offered a 10-minute take on “One For Chuck,” performing an instrumental rendition of the Let It Wander track that sports an sit-in from legendary MC Chuck D.

Listen to fan-captured audio of Circle Around The Sun’s Raleigh performance below, courtesy of Robbie Dunn:

Setlist

Set: On My Mind, Gilbert’s Groove, Halicarnassus, Immovable Object, Track 5, Scarlotta’s Magnolias, Ticket To Helix, Saturday’s Children

Encore: One For Chuck